Autonomous police 'will better serve public'

JAKARTA (JP): Observers praised on Wednesday city police chief Maj. Gen. Noegroho Djajoesman's proposal to require a minimum rank of colonel instead of lieutenant colonel for the city's five precinct chiefs.

They said in separate interviews with The Jakarta Post that the plan -- which would ensure the chiefs were at least equal in rank to district military commanders -- was in accordance with the drive to increase the police's independence and maximize its role in protecting and serving the people.

"Police precincts, which stand on the front line in the police's public service, will have greater autonomy and authority to provide better services to the public," said Gen. (ret) Awaloeddin Djamin, head of the National Police Commander's Supervisory Body.

Awaloeddin, who is a former chief of the National Police, said the appointment of colonels would eliminate the prospect of intervention from the provincial police, National Police Headquarters and also Indonesian Military (TNI) Headquarters.

"With the scheme, the city police delegates its authority to the respective police precincts. It's positive for the police precinct chiefs to act on their own initiative since they know best the characteristics of the community under their supervision."

Awaloeddin said a police precinct chief would be given full authority under the plan to place dependable police personnel in areas with high-crime rates.

Satjipto Rahardjo, a professor at law at Diponegoro University in the Central Java capital of Semarang, said the plan would be followed by an advancement in the devices at the police's disposal and the number of police personnel.

"It will enhance the police precincts' ability to handle security and order within the community," he told the Post by phone.

Satjipto said the military was still needed to maintain order and security in the city, but it should only provide a back-up function.

"Security affairs should be under the police's control, but not under the military because the characteristics of the police are to protect the public. Meanwhile, the doctrine of the military is to destroy an enemy, not to protect people."

A criminologist, Adrianus Meliala, said the scheme would put the police precinct chiefs in an equal position with regents or mayors, and end the police's lower status to the military district command, which is led by a lieutenant colonel.

"Coordination between the three components (police, military and military police) will be fast, including in the deployment of troops to sites of unrest, since the police precinct would not necessarily wait for instructions from the provincial police headquarters."

Adrianus, also a lecturer in the University of Indonesia's postgraduate police science program, underlined the police precincts' role in serving the public.

"National Police and provincial police should no longer take over cases, such as burglaries, but delegate the responsibility to police precincts," he said.

National Police Headquarters should only act as a planner, while the provincial police should merely be a coordinator of police precincts under its supervision, he said.

Abuse of power

Adrianus recommended that the city police consider establishing a police commission to check against the possibility of abuses of power by police officers due to their increased authority.

"Like in Japan, a police commission was established to watch closely the police officers' moves," he said.

"The commission comprises representatives of the central government and provincial government officials, national and provincial police and from local community."

But Awaloeddin said local councilors and the police's inspectorate general would be sufficient to prevent abuses of power. (asa)